Press & Media Mentions

WalletHub – Best Small Cities to Start a Business – By Adam McCann – “To determine the best small cities to start a business, WalletHub compared the business-friendliness of more than 1,200 small-sized cities. Our data set of 18 key metrics ranges from average growth in number of small businesses to investor access to labor costs. Read on for our findings, insight from a panel of business experts and a full description of our methodology.”

Video Interview with Andrew Maxwell on Entrepreneurial Language, Rhetoric, and Funding Outcomes – Filmmaker: Andrew Maxwell; “Speaker: Thomas Allison, University of Oklahoma, discusses the entrepreneurial language used to communicate to resource providers, including the approach of focusing on a novel technology that then needs its customer base identified vs. the focus of having identified a customer base with a need and then having found an innovation to meet that need. The Master Class Series is a collection of 100+ videos on a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurial topics from prominent authors, executives, researchers and contributors within the business sector and academia.”

Yahoo News – The Secret to Crowdfunding? Get warm and Fuzzy – By Chad Brooks – “Pulling at investors’ heartstrings is the key for entrepreneurs seeking to crowdfund a startup. A University of Oklahoma study discovered that certain types of language used by entrepreneurs affect success in generating investment. Specifically, entrepreneurs are more successful in raising microloan funding when they spend little time discussing their achievements and accomplishments.”

Fox Business – Crowdfunding – Getting warm and Fuzzy – By Chad Brooks – “…lenders are more likely to fund a project in an effort to feel better about themselves, known as the “warm glow phenomenon,” said Oklahoma doctoral candidate and the study’s lead author, Thomas Allison. The research used a technique called computer-aided text analysis to examine 6,000 entrepreneurs. Our research suggests that how entrepreneurs discuss themselves when requesting funding shapes whether investors feel good about helping them,” Allison said. “This is important because it suggests emotions are important to the process of raising funds for a new venture.”